Neurologist Vujović: Botulinum patients at KCCG not in life-threatening danger – “If you feel weakness when swallowing, see a doctor immediately”

Patients admitted to the Clinical Center of Montenegro after receiving botox showed symptoms of botulism — poisoning by the botulinum toxin — KCCG neurologist Balsha Vujović said on TV Vijesti’s “Boje jutra” show, as Vijesti reports.

Vujović stressed that the patients are in stable condition and are not in life-threatening danger, but said this is an extremely rare reaction which, according to him, neurologists “have practically not had the chance to see in the past 20 years.”

Explaining the mechanism, the neurologist said the botulinum toxin can spread to muscles where it was not supposed to act, and in more severe cases can cause pronounced muscle weakness, difficulty swallowing, voice changes and even breathing problems, Vijesti writes.

Warning signs, according to Vujović, include a drooping eyelid, local hematoma or bruising, double vision, tear-flow disorders and facial asymmetry — consequences of inadequate application or wrong dilution dosage. “If someone feels weakness when swallowing, voice changes, pronounced weakness of the facial muscles, then this is an alarm to see a doctor immediately,” Vijesti quoted the neurologist as saying.

The case follows a police investigation launched last week into the affected patients, when a Ukrainian citizen and a Montenegrin man were arrested and three women ended up in hospital — while media warned of spoiled and counterfeit preparations in circulation. Today’s statement by the neurologist is the first official medical clarification of the patients’ condition, as Vijesti reports.